The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1887-01-13
WHO WAS To BL.iNE?
Il Railroad accident ia Ohio Attended NTH
Great Loss of Life.

Chicago with five coaches and four sleep
ers, all well filled with passengers, colIided
with the eastern bound freight several miles
east OF this city about 4 this morning.
The passenger train was fifty minutes late
an hour. Passing Republic, n small sta
ton, like a flash, they rushed along a curve
a mile west of that town when suddenly
the engineer saw the freight train under full
Roadway within q hundred yards OF him.
He at once applied the brake and reversed
his engine, but it did o.good, and the next
instant the crash came, telescoping the
coaches and piling them upon each other.
To add to the horrible scene, fire broke out
in the smoking car and soon spread to the
other cars. Many people were killed out
right, while others were wedged in among
the broken cars and slowly consumed in
the flames. The screams OF the wounded
and dying were heartrending, but no as
sistance could be given until a farmer
awakened by the crash came Ind with
other neighboru worked like heroes to save
the perishing. The ground was covered
with snow. The collision occurred one
mile from town and nearly half a mile
from any dwelling and at 2 o'clock in the
morning. 1t is related OF one Bradley, a
prominent Knight OF Labor. from Wash
ington, who. while the flames were bursting
from the car windows, which had been
broken in the crash OF the collision, that he
by some means put outhis hand and threw
his watch and pocket book to those whom
he could see on the outside. He was pen-
ned in on the inside and was being roasted
alive, but those who saw him were unable
to render him any relief. They could hear
the frenZ.ed and horror stricken man as he
madly endeavored to burst the barrier
that held him in his fiery prison. The
charred remains of the express messenger
consisted simply of two thigh bones which
were oun in the debris of the car.
1he engineer and fireman OF the freight
reversed their engine End jumped for the
snow bank. The enginaAr OF the express re-
versed his engine Inc sprang to the left.
The fireman e~ndeavored to get out to the
right, but, being overcome with fright, fell
close to his crushed engine and was badly
burned, but not beyond recognition. His
body has been placed in n neat casket and
Is now at the undertaker's at Republic,
awaiting the arrival of his relatives.
Though only nine bodies have been re-
covered from the burning wreck, there must
i'"hS III bboO pc iSliCu, o5
the tally OF those who escaped and those
wounded is far short of the number OF the
persons known to have been on the train.
Several watches found in the ruins may
serve to identify some OF the victims. Fol
lowing is n list OF the killed: Joseph Post
lethwaite, OF Bolton, Vented county, w.
Va. and his two sons. Spencer and Henry
Postlethwaite; w. Scott Pierce, express
messenger. Newburg, w. Va; Frank Irwin,
lInnn,ar Ri, 1lanl a. I-z
lineman, Blackhand, o.; William Fredericks,
fireman, Washington, d. c.; NJ. H. Parks,
officer of knights of Labor, Washington,
D. c..
There are nine distinct bodies that are
burned to crisp and II mass of charred re-
mains until nothing but pieces of the skull
and bones are left. How many persons
these represent will never be known. The
railroad officials claim there were but ten
persons killed, six ofwlom were passengers
and the otherfOur employees. Only one per-
son escaped from the smoker unhurt and
his name is unknown.
Cleveland dispatch: At 1 o'clock the
east-bound freight train in charge of Con-
ductor Fletcher, pulled out OF this city,
having received orders to sidetrack at the
Scippio siding to allow the east-bound ex-
press to pass. After the passenger train
had gone the conductor being without
special orders, exercised his own Judgment,
and determined that inasmuch as he had
half an hour to make the switch at Repub-
lie, & little more than five miles distant. be-
fore the arrival OF the fast express from the
east, due at that point at 2 o'clock, he
pulled out. The night was bitter cold, and
much difficulty was experienced in keeping
up steam in the engine. Finally at a point
half a mile west of Republic the train
to a ~standstill, being unable to move
further. just here was made the horrible
mistake which resulted in the loss of many
the destruction OF thousands OF
dollars worth of property. Although the
conductor must have known that he was
dangerously near the time OF
the express, he did not send out a signal
until his train had come to a %standstill,
he found it impossible to move any
He then started forward with a
himself. At this point there is a
sharp carve, and Conductor Fletcher had
not proceeded more than the length OF
twenty cars when he saw the headlight
OF the approaching express rounding the
curve not more than forty rods distant,
and running at the lightning speed of sixty |
three miles per hour. Horror stricken
with the knowledge thata frightful accident |
could not be averted, he flashed his light in
the face OF Engineer Lem Eastman. The
at the same time saw the
light OF the freight engine, and giving a wild
shrek OF whistles for brakes, he re-
versed his engine and jumped for
his life, crashing through the window OF the
cab, carrying glass and sash with him. and
in a heavy now drift. He escaped
serious injury, his hurts being confined to a
wound upon the knee. AS he real
ICED the danger, he called to the fireman, |
William Fredericks, to save himself. The
latter was engaged in shaking the fire and
raised up and hesitated IL moment to glance
forward as if to estimate the danger. This
was fatal, as at that instant the crash
anne and the poor Frcdericks was pinned
and crushed by the mass of wreck. The
of the collision can be better
than described. The engines
Of the two trains reared into the air
like a pair OF enraged living monsters
and then settled down upon the track
driven into each other until their cylinders
The force Of impact jammed the
car into the tender of the fast
the express car into the baggage,
and the smoker into the express. In less
than five minutes from the moment the
and before any organized effort at
rescue could be made, the fire OF overturned
stoves communicated to the woodwork
the flames leaped high in the air, their
roar mingling with the cries OF anguish OF
imprisoned victims, to whom death in its
most terrible form was Il horrid presence.